Dense commentary on social media, marketing and branding.

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Leading Indian film maker, Karan Johar, tweets, “Critics on television,newspapers,facebook,twitter,websites…and some even send sms’s…everyone is now a critic!! Where is the audience???” (Link) It does sound profound, but give it a deeper thought – and go beyond just films…into products and services we consume. 1. Were people not sharing opinions earlier, before TV, newspapers, facebook, twitter happened? Yes, they were,… Read more →

The tragedy that happened yesterday morning in Mangalore hit me this morning as I read the newspaper. The way the stories of death and survivors were narrated in the paper was far more impactful than what I saw sporadically yesterday on TV. Is that because we read the newspaper at our pace and choose stories on our own discretion, while… Read more →

Yes, I use the word ‘can’ – not ‘should’. Should brands apologize online? Of course – it moves a needle in people’s (customers’) mind. It shows that brands can act human, repent for something wrong (in product quality or service) and are willing to accept the fact. An apology shows a brand’s willingness to go the extra mile in making… Read more →

I’ve always wondered…if big brands can brand themselves, why can’t individuals? Sure, I know of a few who do – the one I know within my immediate network is Manuscrypts. He has a logo as a display picture on Twitter…and also on Facebook. Thankfully, he has a negative image (not figuratively, but photographically!) of himself along with the logo on… Read more →

It started with (from what I could see) @kapilb’s tweet which said, UTV Bindass should have not used Taj Hotel image http://post.ly/fjEH I personally think that is a fair point – remember how extra sensitive people were in the US, in the wake of the twin tower destruction? Under production films removed scenes showing the twin towers! And here we… Read more →

First, we had a girl who tweeted her way to seeking a job. Next, we had a guy who created a campaign titled, ‘My next boss’ to land a job. Here’s another case study, of someone who used US $6 to buy Google ads and landed a job! Brilliant!

The term ‘Attention Economy’ made a lot of sense back then. It still does. But this was a advertising-perpetrated concept. The Attention Economy, as Read Write Web’s Richard MacManus sums it up, “is a marketplace where consumers agree to receive services in exchange for their attention. Examples include personalized news, personalized search, alerts and recommendations to buy. Note that the… Read more →